15 Mar 2022

Some Members of Parliament have implored the Administration of Justice to make magistrate courts available in major villages in every sub-district. 

That was a call that Nata/Gweta MP, Mr Polson Majaga made debating the Administration of Justice budget proposals for the 2022/23 financial year on Monday. 

Mr Majaga argued that availability of magistrate courts in many villages around the country would reduce distances travelled by people who required access judiciary services. 

“It is time for villages like Gweta to have a magistrate court,” the legislator said. 

Mr Majaga further asked for outsourcing of private lawyers by government to be done in a transparent manner. 

In his contribution to the debate, Okavango MP, Mr Kenny Kapinga urged government to utilise customary courts as alternative courts in justice dispensation. 

Mr Kapinga was of the view that customary courts would provide cheaper access to justice. 

“What is needed is for government to realise that these courts are as important as the magistrate courts and the high court. We should use chiefs to the maximum point possible in the dispensation of justice,” he said. 

Mr Kapinga also called for improvement in enforcement of judgements, arguing that cases were in some instances completed, but judgement made were not enforced. Molepolole North MP, 

Mr Oabile Regoeng expressed concern about the slowness of dispensing court cases, thus challenged the Administration of Justice to speed them up. He also requested that the number of appeals in court judgments be limited. 

He argued that affording many appeals to guilty parties sometimes served to deny justice to those who won the case. Lerala/Maunatlala MP, Mr Setlhabelo Modukanele asked the Administration of Justice to make it mandatory for livestock theft cases to be held in customary courts. 

Mr Modukanele further called for the law should be amended to deny bail to suspects of heinous crimes such as murder and rape. 

“We need to be sensitive and sympathetic to the victims of these heinous crimes,” he said. 

The legislator also asked for construction of a magistrate court in his constituency. Nkange MP, Dr Never Tshabang requested for construction of a magistrate court in Tutume village, arguing that his constituents were forced to travel long distances to Masunga or Francistown for their cases. 

Such, he said was economically draining for people seeking justice in his constituency. 

Responding to some of the issues raised by MPs, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Kagiso Mmusi said it was the aim of the ministry to construct magistrate courts in many villages around the country, but was frustrated by shortage of resources. 

Regarding bail, he said the ministry had consulted some stakeholders in the AoJ about bail laws and the results or recommendations had been sent to the Attorney General. 

Meanwhile, Parliament approved the Administration of Justice budget estimates of over P325 million for recurrent expenditure and P39.8 million for the development expenditure, proposed by the minister for the next financial year. BOPA